geekorchicfandomcom-20200213-history
Hestia
Hestia (meaning "hearth" or "fireside") is the eldest child ofKronos and Rhea. She is the Greek virgin goddess of the hearth, home, the right ordering of domesticity, and family. She received the first offering at every sacrifice in the household. Her Roman counterpart is Vesta. History Birth and Rescue Hestia was the eldest child of Kronos, the Titan King of Mount Othrys, and his sister-wife Rhea. At first, Kronos seemed willing to be a good father, and not to resemble Ouranos. However, the Titan King suddenly realized that Hestia was not a Titaness, but rather, a more powerful and beautiful immortal (a goddess). Kronos, fearing that Hestia might one day overpower him, quickly swallowed her whole, to the horror of Rhea. Hestia, thus, spent her childhood undigested in her father's stomach along with her younger sisters (Demeter and Hera), and younger brothers (Hades and Poseidon), all of whom were also swallowed shortly after their birth. As a result, Kronos became known as "The Cannibal King." Rhea pleaded with Kronos to spare their children but with no success, since even Kronos' great love for Rhea was not enough to overpower his selfish and evil nature. However, Rhea soon gave birth to her final child, Zeus, who she secretly raised on Crete, far away from Mount Othrys. After growing up, Zeus successfully infiltrated Kronos' Palace on Mount Othrys as the Titan King's royal cup bearer. Hestia was finally released during the final drinking competition that Kronos had with his Titanic brothers and nephews. Zeus poured an extremely powerful emetic (made from nectar mixed with mustard) into Kronos' goblet, which caused the Titan King to disgorge all of the contents of his stomach, in reverse order of swallowing: first the boulder, then Poseidon, followed by Hades, Hera, Demeter, and, finally, Hestia. All five of them had been growing undigested in Kronos' stomach, being gods. Zeus quickly introduced himself to his elder siblings, and all of them (including Hestia) quickly escaped Mount Othrys, before their Titanic uncles and cousins came to their senses. In Zeus' Cave, at the base of Mount Ida, Hestia happily reunited with her beloved mother Rhea, who tearfully embraced her. Shorlty thereafter, Hestia and the other gods accepted Zeus as their leader, and reached a unanimous consensus on declaring war against their tyrannical father. Hestia (being a kind and peaceful goddess) was the only one who initially objected, and suggested diplomacy, but was finally persuaded to agree with Zeus. However, since they still had no weapons, Hestia agreed to help Zeus release their Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheire uncles from Tartarus first. Rescuing the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires Hestia's brother Hades was very skilled in navigating under the earth, was able to lead them all into Tartarus (through a network of Underworld tunnels). There, imprisoned in the maximum-security zone, surrounded by huge bronze walls, and a lava moat, guarded fierce demons, were the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires. Their guardian, Kampê, was the most ferocious and fearsome monster in all of Tartarus, and even Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades initially shuddered with horror when they saw the infernal monster for the first time. However, the gods overcame their fear, and were able to sneak in. Zeus managed to talk to the Cyclopes Brontes, and convinced him to forge powerful weapons for him and his siblings behind Kampê's back. The three Elder Cyclopes forged three incredibly powerful weapons: the Master Bolt (for Zeus), the Trident (for Poseidon), and the Helm of Darkness (for Hades). With these new weapons, Zeus killed Kampê, and Poseidon shattered the chains of the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, releasing them. Afterwards, Hades safely guided his siblings and uncles back out of Tartarus. In return, for their release, all six of Hestia' uncles agreed to fight on her side in the upcoming war with the Titans. The First Titanomachy Shortly after their return from Tartarus, Hestia and her siblings officially declared war on Kronos and the other Titans, which resulted in the terrifying 11-year-long Titanomachy. The Titans initially had the upper hand, since they were well-armed and much more experienced warriors. However, as the years of the War passed, the gods quickly became skilled warriors as well, and with the help of their new extremely powerful weapons, as well as the aid of the Elder Cyclopes and Hekatonkheires, the gods finally prevailed. While preparing for the final battle of the War, Hestia and her siblings ascended to Mount Olympus (the tallest mountain in Greece after Mount Orthys). During the final battle, Zeus used his Master Bolt to shear off the top of Mount Othrys, and hurl Kronos from his Black Throne, defeating the Titan King. Shortly thereafter, the gods invaded the ruins of Mount Orthys, and finally overwhelmed Atlas, Hyperion, Iapetus, Krios, and Koios. In the aftermath of the battle, the Elder Cylopes chained up all of the defeated Titans, while theHekatonkheires forced them to kneel before Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Zeus took his father's Scythe, and sliced Kronos into a thousand pieces, before casting him into Tartarus, along with the rest of his followers (except for General Atlas, who was forced to hold the Sky). Becoming the Last Olympian The gods chose Mount Olympus as their official residence, and the Elder Cyclopes build magnificent palaces there for them all. As a result, the gods started to call themselves the Olympians. Shortly thereafter, Hestia's brothers Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided world between themselves: Hades received the Underworld, Poseidon seized the seas and oceans, and Zeus claimed the heavens as his domain, and became the King of Mount Olympus, and the Olympians. As for Hestia herself, unlike her more prominent younger siblings, she was humble, and never sought power. Many years later, when Dionysus was accepted as one of the Twelve Olympians, Hestia even willingly gave up her throne to him, and took to constantly tending the Olympian sacred hearth. However, in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hestia never had a throne and always kept to the hearth. Like her mother Rhea, Hestia was always very sweet and kind, which earned her the love of her entire family, and none of the gods could fight in her presence on Olympus. Also, during any of their massive family feuds, any Olympian could chose to take a break by sitting down next to the hearth with Hestia, whose presence alone was enough to calm anyone talking with her. Hestia was empathetic to all her siblings (even Hades) and their children, she consoled, healed, cheered, advised and supported every single god and goddess in on Olympus, and was the only Olympian to get along with every other Olympian (even Ares). However, unlike Rhea (who was the Titaness of Motherhood), Hestia never desired to marry or become a mother herself, and turned down several gods. However, shortly thereafter, Zeus (who greatly admired his sister) allowed Hestia to remain a an eternal virgin, and, Him along with Poseidon and Apollo, vowed to punish anyone who would ever attempt to woo her in the future. Hence, Hestia was able to retain her role as the goddess of the Hearth. She later even gave some sacred fire from the Olympian heart to the Titan Prometheus, who desired to give it to humans. Incident with Priapus While celebrating the anniversary of her children's victory over the Titans, Rhea organised a grandiose party on Mount Ida on Crete. All gods and neutral Titans were invited, as well as many nymphs and satyrs. Hestia, who rarely attended parties soon wandered out into the woods, and fell asleep. Priapus, a minor god of vegetation, spotted the beautiful goddess and wanted to take advantage of her. However, while he was approaching her, a donkey brayed out loudly. Hestia woke up screaming and ran away from Priapus. The feasting Olympians instantly ran to her side, and proceeded to harshly beat and berate Priapus, and never invited him to their divine partied ever again. After that unpleasant situation, Hestia declared that she was to be grateful and defined the donkey as her sacred animal. Personality Hestia appears to be of a calm and humble disposition, showing a higher degree of kindness than most other Olympians, gods who frequently take offense at the slightest provocation. She has a somewhat proudness to her quiet personality, and she is a very wise goddess and places priority maintaining peace and harmony amongst her family, the Olympians, by knowing when it is appropriate to give in. Having vowed to be a virgin forever, Hestia has no children and places value in chastity. Much like Artemis, she sometimes favors the form of a young girl most of the time, although she has been seen as a grown woman. She is very kind to Percy and Nico, as it is seen in the book, The Last Olympian. ''According to ''Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hestia's personality is very similar to her mother Rhea's. However, in one regard, Hestia was quite different, since, unlike Rhea, she never desired to become a mother herself. Hestia was empathetic to all her siblings and their children, she consoled, healed, cheered, advised and supported every single god and goddess in the Greek pantheon and is the only Olympian god to get along with every other Olympian. Appearance According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hestia was sweet and beautiful in an unpretentious way, with an honest smile, warm brown eyes, and black hair that framed her face in ringlets. She wore plain, modest dresses and never used makeup, and usually kept her hair tucked under a linen shawl. She also had a delicious scent of wood smoke and toasted marshmallows. Though she was not as beautiful as her younger sisters, Demeter and Hera, her charm was such that both Poseidon and Apollo were once enamored of her, and Priapus even tried to bed her. The differences in Hestia's physical description throughout the novels could be attributed to the fact that, as a goddess, she has the ability to assume any shape she desired, though it must be noted that she retains her sweet beauty and warm charm no matter what physical manifestation she adopts. Sacred Animal Hestia's sacred animal is the donkey after a party in Olympus. Hestia was sleeping and Priapus wanted to take advantage of her. While he was coming to her bed, a donkey brayed out loudly. Hestia woke up screaming and ran away from Priapus. After that unpleasant situation, she declared that she was to be grateful and defined the donkey as her sacred animal Vesta Hestia can change into her Roman counterpart, Vesta. As Vesta, she becomes more disciplined, militaristic, and warlike. In ancient times, the Vestal Virgins were maiden priestesses who maintained the sacred fire that was spread to every Roman household. As such, it is possible that the Vestals are the Roman counterpart of the Hunters, but were less aggressive and didn't fight. Hestia was envisioned by the Greeks as the gentle goddess of domesticity whereas Vesta was considered to be the stern guardian of the Roman state and home. Abilities According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hestia is not as powerful as her more prominent younger siblings, and in the other novels she herself claimed to be the weakest Olympian. However, as Kronos' oldest daughter and therefore the oldest Olympian, she is still an extremely powerful Goddess in her own right. * Pyrokinesis: As the Goddess of the Hearth, Hestia has absolute control over fire, and according to Percy, the fire that she tends to seems to glow "more richly red than a normal fire." In The Last Olympian, Hestia demonstrated her powers by super-heating Kronos' Scythe to the point that it melted. * Familial magic: As the Goddess of Home and Family, Hestia shares the same jurisdiction as her sisterHera (the other goddess of domesticity) over all things related to domestic and familial relationships. Her unique status as a domestic goddess also grants her abilities of: ** Food-Conjuration: As shown in The Last Olympian, Hestia could conjure delicious food, a power that Hera had also exhibited in The Battle of the Labyrinth. Percy described the taste of her food as the home-cooked meals that everyone should have eaten while growing up. ** Premonition: As shown also in The Last Olympian, Hestia possessed psychic powers, given that she could share family-related visions of the past and present with others. ** Home Transportation: As shown again in The Last Olympian, Hestia was able to send people back to their own hearth, as she did with Percy and Nico. * Sanctuary Protection and Prohibition: Hestia's influence protected any mortal that entered one of her temples from the wrath of the gods, and none of the gods could fight in her presence on Olympus. Trivia * As revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hestia is the eldest child of Kronos and Rhea, and thus, the first swallowed by her father, after he realizes that she is not a Titan. * In Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, it is revealed that Hestia still recalls that terrifying moment of being swallowed by her father Kronos. This is part of the reason why she chooses to remain a virgin for all eternity. * According to Percy Jackson's Greek Gods, Hestia's personality is very similar to her mother Rhea's. * When asked to describe Hestia's cabin at camp, Rick Riordan said that she has no cabin because it just was not her style. * Hestia's favorite aunt is Themis, the Titaness of Divine Law and Justice. * As opposed to the twelve enthroned Olympians, Hestia does not seek attention or recognition, but exists contentedly at the hearth, the final guardian and place of solace one can turn to should they need her. Percy is of the opinion that she prefers to remain obscure. * Hestia would be the last Olympian if the thrones of the gods are destroyed, as she relinquished her ownthrone and seat of power to Dionysus. Her power is enshrined in her realm - the hearth and home. * She is one of the three virgin goddesses. The others are Athena (whose children are born through a meeting of minds, not bodies, as explained by Annabeth) and Artemis. * Vesta, the second largest object in the asteroid belt, is named after Hestia's Roman counterpart. * In The Lost Hero, Hera states "I am the goddess of family. My family has been divided for too long," which seems to confirm her sharing the same jurisdiction over domesticity with Hestia, since Hestia is considered to be the true official goddess of home and domesticity. * Percy describes her to look like eight or nine years old when he first meets her, but she appears older during his first visit to Olympus in The Last Olympian. * The priestesses of her Roman counterpart Vesta were known as Vestal Virgins. Rhea Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus was to become a Vestal Virgin, but wasn't able to due to her siring of Romulus and Remus by Ares (Mars). * 4 Vesta, is an asteroid named after her Roman counterpart, Vesta. * Vesta family, a group of asteroids, is named after her Roman counterpart. * 46 Hestia, a large, dark main-belt asteroid, is named after her. * In The Last Olympian, Hestia reveals that Nico was the first demigod to talk to her in ages. * She seems to really like Percy Jackson, usually helping him if he asks for it. * When Percy meets her, he remarks to himself about how similar her eyes are to Ares' eyes. * Hestia was the second of the Olympian deities to meet Percy, but the last one to be identified as such (Percy met Dionysus in Chapter 5 of Lightning Thief,'' and spotted Hestia in her nine-year-old form in Chapter 6, but she was not identified until ''Last Olympian). * Hestia's name means "home and hearth" in Greek. * Hestia may very well be the eldest Olympian since it's never stated ''when ''Aphrodite arose from Ouranos' remains. She may not have arisen until after Zeus and his siblings (including Hestia) were fully grown, and had defeated the Titans. This would harmonize some myths which say Zeus adopted Aphrodite as his daughter. * Hestia is the only one of Kronos' and Rhea's children who does not have a cabin at Camp Half-Blood